It goes without saying that The Invisibles is Grant Morrison's magnum opus. Printed by Vertigo from 1994 to 2000, it's one of the unsung gems of Vertigo's most fertile era. Telling the story of the Invisibles and their battle against the Outer Church and their stranglehold on the world, it was full of the huge concepts that was Morrison's stock trade, as well as deft characterization and amazing art.
In the pantheon of great comics, The Invisibles often gets left out of the conversation and that's unfair to the series. One of Morrison's most challenging works, it reward readers for paying attention to its twisting, complex narrative. Like many older stories, not everything about it aged very well. What about The Invisibles has aged well? What hasn't?
10 AGED WELL: The Art
The Invisibles had a variety of artists working on the book during its run. While not all of it was the greatest, the vast majority of it holds up well. Morrison worked with some of the best artists that Vertigo had to offer at the time and it paid off.
The best issues of the book were done by Phil Jimenez, Chris Weston, Frank Quitely, and Jill Thompson, with Jimenez being especially clutch, responsible for some of the best looking issues in the entire series and some truly breathtaking double page spreads that will burn themselves into readers minds.
9 DIDN'T AGE WELL: The Truth Of Division X
Division X is a group of British intel agents who think they're hunting down the Invisibles but its way more complicated than that and that's one of the problems. The characters themselves are pretty interesting and are pastiches of British spy TV shows and movies, which can be a bit confusing for Americans who don't get the references but that's not the worst of it.
The problem comes in the last volume when their cover story is cracked and they're revealed to have been Invisibles the whole time. It's done in a very strange way and the whole thing can be pretty confusing for readers.
8 AGED WELL: The Characters
The Invisibles has one of the best cast of characters around. Morrison does a great job of fleshing each of the main group out, giving them individual personalities and reasons behind their fight against the Outer Church and its human servants.
King Mob, Jack Frost, Lord Fanny, Ragged Robin, and Boy all take on a life of their own as the story goes on and they are joined by a whole bevy of more great characters, like Jolly Roger, Mr. Six, Mason Lang, and Jim Crow. As much as the book is about occult craziness and vast conspiracies, the characters anchor all the insanity and make the whole thing enjoyable.
7 DIDN'T AGE WELL: Some Of The Language
The Invisibles, like many Vertigo books written by British writers, was ahead of its time when it comes to being socially aware and progressive (in a word, "woke"). The book has lots of positive portrayals of LBGTQ+ characters, people of color, and women and is more woke than most books being published today.
However, the book uses some language that is now considered offensive to members of marginalized communities. No one involved in the book is prejudiced in any way, but changing cultural mores have rendered the casual use of certain cusses and slurs problematic.
6 AGED WELL: Everything About Lord Fanny
Lord Fanny is a trans woman and the second most powerful member of the team. Embracing her femininity from a young age, she would go on to become a bruja, a servant of Aztec goddess of filth Tlazolteotl, and easily the most entertaining member of the group.
Lord Fanny is a positive trans character from a time when such things were just about impossible to find, especially in the mainstream comic scene. Even among Vertigo books, which were years ahead of the curve on positive LBGTQ+ representation, she was a trailblazer and in fact still remains one of the best and most positive trans characters in comics.
5 DIDN'T AGE WELL: It's Hilariously Edgy & Excessive
The Invisibles is full of sex, violence, and recreational drug use. While there's nothing really wrong with any of it and it's actually a pretty common thing for Vertigo books of the time, and it can be a bit excessive at times. This is another symptom of a lot of the Vertigo books of the day.
At the time, the freedom of these mature-oriented books were a revelation to reader and creator alike and things got pretty crazy, but reading it now can be kind of funny in a way Morrison and the creative team never intended.
4 AGED WELL: Everything About "Best Man Fall"
"Best Man Fall" is one of the single best issues of the book and a rarity in comics in general. The book tells the story of one of the soldiers that King Mob kills in the first issue, showing readers his past- his life of abuse, both as the abused and abuser, and how it all shaped him and set him on the path he found himself on.
The character isn't exactly sympathetic but readers get to see something they've rarely ever seen- the life of one of the faceless henchmen. It fleshes out a bit character, allowing readers to experience their world and see the human cost of the hero blasting through the cannon fodder.
3 DIDN'T AGE WELL: It's Very '90s
The Invisibles is a product of the time it was made, for better and worst. It's a books full of occult madness, conspiracies that make the X-Files seem tame, rave culture, bondage costumes, and all kinds of other things that made perfect sense in the '90s but might seem sort of silly or just odd to modern audiences who weren't around back in the day.
It's said that looking back on anything can render what was once thought of as the height of fashion or seriousness into something outdated and silly, and that can happen at times in The Invisibles.
2 AGED WELL: It Tempered Its Darkness With Hope
The Invisibles, like many Vertigo books of its time, could get pretty dark. As intimated above, there was a lot of violence, scenes of torture, and the like. The Outer Church was run by extra dimensional demons who believe in monstrous order and have no problem brutalizing everyone- even their own servants.
However, the book can also be unfailingly optimistic and utopian. The Invisibles fight for a world full or weird and wonderful things and their zeal for life fuels them.
1 DIDN'T AGE WELL: Some Of The Mysteries Don't Pay Off
The Invisibles is a book full of mysteries that unfold before readers as the book goes on. It's definitely a book that rewards multiple read throughs. However, there are some mysteries that are set up and never given any kind of satisfying answer and this can be frustrating.
While it allows readers to make up their own minds, some readers will be let down by this, especially with things like the Blind Chessman and John O'Dreams.